Cloud-based system and method to track and manage objects

ABSTRACT

A system, method and computer program product for integrated management of animate and inanimate objects of an enterprise, including a cloud-based server having a database, a website, and configured for running computer programs thereon; a user device including a smartphone, tablet and/or personal computer (PC) running an application or software including a gamified user interface (UI) configured to connect to the database and function as a data entry and display device; automated devices including a sensor, electronic switch, pump and/or a hydroponic dosing device connected to the database and configured to collect and transmit data or to react to received commands; an Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered engine configured to monitor statuses of animate and inanimate objects of an enterprise, as well as external conditions and actors that affect the enterprise, and based on analysis of the statuses, configured to task employees and/or the automated devices of the enterprise, and configured to employ cognitive reasoning to provide the enterprise with advice on managing business operations; and a framework employed by the AI engine based on a metaphor of a novel, with business operations of the enterprise presented as a story, and including a data model that follows rules of grammar.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present invention claims priority to U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 62/324,532 of SUNDEL et al., entitled “CLOUD BASEDSYSTEM AND METHOD TO TRACK AND MANAGE OBJECTS,” filed on Apr. 19, 2016,now pending, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/372,593of SUNDEL et al., entitled “CLOUD BASED SYSTEM AND METHOD TO TRACK ANDMANAGE OBJECTS,” filed on Aug. 9, 2016, now pending, the entiredisclosures of all of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present invention generally relates to object management systems andmethods, and, more particularly, to a cloud-based system and method formanaging animate and inanimate objects, and the like.

Discussion of the Background

In recent years, various systems and methods for object management havebeen devised. However, such systems and methods are not robust withrespect to managing animate and inanimate objects involved in differentbusiness processes in an integrated manner, and the like.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, there is a need for a method and system that addresses theabove and other problems. The above and other problems are addressed bythe illustrative embodiments of the present invention, which provide arobust and efficient cloud-based system and method for managing animateand inanimate objects, and the like.

Accordingly, in illustrative aspects of the present invention there isprovided a system, method, and computer program product for integratedmanagement of animate and inanimate objects of an enterprise, includinga cloud-based server having a database, a website, and configured forrunning computer programs thereon; a user device including a smartphone,tablet and/or personal computer (PC) running an application or softwareincluding a gamified user interface (UI) configured to connect to thedatabase and function as a data entry and display device; automateddevices including a sensor, electronic switch, pump and/or hydroponicdosing device connected to the database and configured to collect andtransmit data or to react to received commands; an ArtificialIntelligence (AI)-powered engine configured to monitor statuses ofanimate and inanimate objects of an enterprise, as well as externalconditions and actors that affect the enterprise, and based on analysisof the statuses, configured to task employees and/or automated devicesof the enterprise, and configured to employ cognitive reasoning toprovide the enterprise with advice on managing business operations; anda framework employed by the AI engine based on a metaphor of a novel,with business operations of the enterprise presented as a story, andincluding a data model that follows rules of grammar.

The system, method, and computer program product include a plurality ofthe enterprises acting communally by sharing data that is aggregated fordata mining and/or decision analysis.

The system, method, and computer program product include a supplierdevice of the enterprise configured to allow logging into the websiteand exchanging information with the enterprise, including order,delivery, and/or invoice information, thereby creating an online ordermanagement process for suppliers.

The system, method, and computer program product include a Kiosk coupledto the cloud-based server and configured to communicate with theemployee of the enterprise, a customer of the enterprise, and/or peoplethat interact with the enterprise, using facial recognition, naturallanguage processing, and/or data input and display mechanisms, includingpublicizing information about the enterprise, including products and/orservices of the enterprise, and including marketing third-party productsand services.

Still other aspects, features, and advantages of the present inventionare readily apparent from the following detailed description, byillustrating a number of illustrative embodiments and implementations,including the best mode contemplated for carrying out the presentinvention. The present invention is also capable of other and differentembodiments, and its several details can be modified in variousrespects, all without departing from the spirit and scope of the presentinvention. Accordingly, the drawings and descriptions are to be regardedas illustrative in nature, and not as restrictive.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The embodiments of the present invention are illustrated by way ofexample, and not by way of limitation, in the figures of theaccompanying drawings and in which like reference numerals refer tosimilar elements and in which:

FIGS. 1-6 are illustrative diagrams of a cloud-based system and methodto track and manage objects;

FIGS. 7-29 are illustrative Use Cases for the cloud-based system andmethod to track and manage objects;

FIGS. 30-38 are illustrative Activity Diagrams for the cloud-basedsystem and method to track and manage objects; and

FIGS. 39-43 are illustrative real-world examples for the cloud-basedsystem and method to track and manage objects.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designateidentical or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and moreparticularly to FIGS. 1-43 thereof, there is illustrated a cloud-basedsystem and method to track and manage objects, including the cloud-basedsystem and method of FIGS. 1-6, Use Cases of FIGS. 7-29, ActivityDiagrams of FIGS. 30-38, and a real-world example diagrams of FIGS.39-43. In FIGS. 1-6, Use Cases (FIGS. 7-29), Activity Diagrams (FIGS.30-38), and real world example diagrams (FIGS. 39-43), the system andmethod can include software and/or hardware (referred to as “Ophanim”),including an integrated suite of smartphone and tablet apps and programsrunning on cloud-based servers that (i) monitors all aspects of theenterprise, (ii) provides employees with interactive activity lists andinstructions via online displays, in-program messages, and SMS and emailmessages, (iii) directs automated devices to perform actions tosupplement the employees' efforts, and (iv) creates a communityconsisting of the enterprise and entities with which it interacts.Combined with sensors and other automated data input devices;smartphones, tablets, laptops, and other personal data entry and displaydevices; electronic switches, pumps, dosers, and other automated devicesthat can react to commands; and the employees or other humans who usethe software, a given instance of Ophanim creates an enterprise-wideOphanim Ecosystem.

Accordingly, Ophanim can include various novel aspects, such as itsfunctionality that allows managing all suitable operations of anenterprise in an integrated manner, the user experience, how it iswritten (including the data model), Artificial Intelligence (AI)-poweredmanagement and advice, and the like. Advantageously, what tieseverything together and contributes to differentiating Ophanim fromother business software is the humanizing of the user experience,including the AI aspect.

A gamification expert has noted that gamification is the craft ofderiving all the fun and addicting elements found in games and applyingthem to real-world or productive activities. This is what is called“Human-Focused Design” as opposed to “Function-Focused Design.” It is adesign process that optimizes for the human in the system, as opposed topure efficiency of the system.

Ophanim does this through the metaphor of a novel, with the AI engine'soperating like a novel's omniscient narrator (e.g., being able to managethe story of the enterprise and to further the story on its own). Inaddition, the data model follows the metaphor of a novel to make itunderstandable to users. In other words, to the extent possible, thedatabase stores information about all of the enterprise's objects—human,other animate, and inanimate—in a similar way.

For a variety of reasons—ranging from cost, to lack of technicalexpertise, to the pressure to act reactively rather thanstrategically—small and medium-size businesses typically do not takeadvantage of modern software, in general, and AI, in particular. Ophanimaddresses this situation by creating fun-to-use and easy-to-understandsoftware that provides enterprise-level management support and thatprovides AI-powered management tools that will enable any size businessto confront its day-to-day challenges with expert guidance.

Ophanim is unique in various ways. For example, unlike typicalcommercial software that focuses on a specific function (such asscheduling staff, managing inventory, or directing maintenance) or asmall number of related functions, Ophanim manages all aspects of abusiness's operations in an integrated fashion.

In addition, unlike typical commercial software, Ophanim is designed tobe understandable to users. In order to accomplish this, Ophanim managesthe business using the metaphor of a novel, with:

Author=the person running Ophanim.

Setting=the environment being managed, such as a for-profit bakery, anon-profit boarding school, a logistics company, a for-profit farm, ahousehold, or a high-school student's schedule.

Scene=a discrete business operation within the overall Setting, such asmaintenance, inventory management, or retail sales.

Plot=the time frame and ultimate goal of the Author, such as long-termprofit maximization, short-term cost minimization, nine-month stressminimization, or long-term employee happiness.

Characters=the people who will be managed, such as employees, customers,family members, visitors, or students.

External Agents=entities existing outside of the Setting that interactwith Characters.

Plot Devices=automated processes that create Events.

Things=the non-human objects that will be managed.

Proper Nouns=Characters and Things that are unique instances of specifictypes of objects.

Common Nouns=Characters and Things that are not unique instances ofspecific types of objects.

Internal Events=occurrences brought about by the Characters or PlotDevices that affect other Characters or Things.

External Events=occurrences brought about by people or natural eventsoutside of the Setting that affect Characters or Things.

Immutable Adjuncts=defining Adjuncts of Characters and Things thatcannot change and that determine how Events affect them.

Mutable Adjuncts=defining Adjuncts of Characters and Things that can bechanged and that might determine how Events affect them.

Families=collections of Characters and Things that share certain keyAdjuncts.

Actions=Discrete tasks to be performed by Characters and certain ProperNouns.

Activities=Groups of related Actions or single self-contained Actions.

Omniscient Narrator=Ophanim's AI engine that continuously monitorsCharacters and Things' Mutable Adjuncts, Internal Events, and ExternalEvents, and assigns Actions and Activities to Characters in furtheranceof the Plot.

Further, unlike traditional commercial software, Ophanim is written insuch a way that it stores and manipulates data similarly to howmanagement uses information to operate the business. This approach helpsto make Ophanim usable by entities operating in a very wide range ofindustries and environments.

Further, unlike traditional commercial software, Ophanim invitesentities with which the enterprise interacts to act communally, eitherby becoming a fellow Ophanim subscriber or, in the case of a supplier,by exchanging order, delivery, and invoicing information online via theenterprise's Ophanim Website.

Finally, in order to overcome the problem that small and medium-sizebusinesses often cannot benefit from AI systems due to the lack ofenough data for effective data mining and decision analysis, Ophanimcollects data from participating businesses, scrubs it to removeconfidential information, and combines it to form a large volume ofdata. Ophanim thereby makes it possible for users to take advantage ofAI-based guidance based on data mining.

Common reasons for business failures include:

Insufficient cash flow.

Offering products that are not in demand.

Ineffective marketing.

Lack of required skills to run the business.

Inability to build a team.

Inability to create the systems necessary to run the business.

In sum, businesses often lack the managerial skill and bandwidth thatthey need to succeed. AI models could be helpful, as they could guidesuch businesses to overcome the challenges noted above. However, AImodels commonly require a vast amount of data for machine learning,which is something that often is not readily available.

Ophanim software is different from existing task management software inadvantageous ways. These advantages can be illustrated in the context ofa deployment to operate an indoor hydroponic-based park, as the softwaretreats the park enterprise as a whole even though widely differentactivities with no apparent connection to each other (such as farming,food service, and visitor education) are taking place. One benefit ofthis approach is that park employees can be directed to performfunctions outside of their comfort zones, thereby making staffing moreefficient and empowering the employees. For instance, a given employeemight be measuring the height of a pepper plant growing in a hydroponicdisplay and then, 10 minutes later, making a cappuccino for an espressobar customer.

Second, Ophanim software keeps track of every animate or inanimateobject introduced into the enterprise in terms of the object's originalstatus, any changes in that status, and, if relevant, the object's finalstatus. The specific data elements stored for a given object varydepending on the object's nature. For instance, “Edible” is a requiredfield for plants but not for kitchen equipment. Nevertheless,conceptually, Ophanim treats all objects similarly. One way to think ofthis approach is that Ophanim makes traditional inventory controlsoftware unnecessary by extending task management to all of theenterprise's objects, not just its employees.

Third, Ophanim software is interactive and fun to use. Instead of simplybeing instructed to perform certain repetitive functions, employeesmight be reacting to politely-phrased directions sent to them on theirpersonal devices, and then providing feedback that affects what they andtheir colleagues are requested to do. This makes the employees activeparticipants in the enterprise's success. For instance, if the employeemeasuring the plant's height notices that a nearby plant looks wilted,they can enter an observation into their smartphone and thereby changethe park's entire staffing plan for the next hour. Depending on how theother employees are currently occupied, they might be requested tomeasure the pH of the reservoir associated with the wilted plant, whileanother employee with customer-facing experience is asked to move fromthe kitchen to the espresso bar and a third employee is shifted from thegreenhouse to the kitchen.

Fourth, the Ophanim Ecosystem is constantly developing new skills.Typical task management software consists of a database and a userinterface. Over time, the database grows increasingly populated, but thesoftware's core functionality does not improve. In contrast, a givenenterprise's Ophanim Ecosystem functionality keeps improving. That isdue to learning on the part of both the software itself and theemployees who are using it. Ophanim software encourages employees tolearn how to perform new Activities by assigning the employees toActivities that are slightly beyond their current levels of competence,and then helping the employees to gain the necessary skills. An exampleof this “stretching” would be the Ophanim AI Engine's directing anemployee to staff the park's espresso bar for the first time andsimultaneously making available a YouTube video that demonstrates theuse of the espresso bar's automated espresso machine.

Fifth, the Ophanim Ecosystem is designed so that all of the enterprise'sobjects are used as efficiently as practicable. In the case of anemployee, this means that Activities are assigned in a way thatstrengthens the employee's motivation. For instance, rather thanassigning the employee first one Action, then a second one once theemployee completes the first one, and then a third Action after that,the Ophanim AI Engine might send the employee a list of three Actions tobe completed within a certain amount of time and leave it to theemployee to decide the order in which to complete them. The Ophanim AIEngine might also provide constructive feedback regarding the manner inwhich the employee reacted to the Activity list. In the case ofnon-human objects, the Ophanim Ecosystem similarly will endeavor tomaximize their usefulness to the enterprise. For instance, the OphanimAI Engine might determine that there are four gallons milk set to expirethe next day, and that, based on historical consumption patterns, theespresso bar will use only one of them in time. Therefore, the OphanimAI Engine might task two kitchen employees to make three of the gallonsinto yogurt by closing time.

Structure and Approach

The Ophanim Ecosystem has the following illustrative components:

Integrated SQL and non-SQL databases (the Ophanim Database) running oncloud-based servers.

Data collectors, including automated sensors, humans using the OphanimApp on their personal devices, and humans logged onto the OphanimWebsite, which transmit information about relevant data elements to theOphanim Database.

The Ophanim AI Engine running on cloud-based servers, which usesArtificial Intelligence to analyze the relevant information stored inthe Ophanim Database in order to create Activity lists or otherwise todirect Actions.

The Ophanim App, which allows an authorized user to configure theOphanim Database, record values, and/or manage an Activity list.

The Ophanim Website, which, depending on permissions, allows anauthorized user to access some or all features of the Ophanim software.

Ophanim software approaches the challenge of managing the enterprisethrough a framework based on the metaphor of a novel, whichDictionary.com defines as follows:

A fictitious prose narrative of considerable length and complexity,portraying characters and usually presenting a sequential organizationof action and scenes.

Numerous Actions are taking place in the enterprise's facility at anyone time, with some Actions proceeding independently and others beingaffected by or affecting still more Actions. Both Characters such asemployees and certain Things such as the HVAC system react to theseActions, usually, but not always, sequentially. Some Scenes are apparentto people at the facility, while others run in the background—includingoutside of the facility. The Ophanim AI Engine is akin to a novel'somniscient narrator: it is aware of everything taking place and,building on what has occurred, it directs future Actions in aninternally logical manner. For instance, based on what day it is (e.g.,a school holiday) and the current local weather (e.g., cold and wet),the Ophanim AI Engine might request two employees to come to work anhour early to deal with the unusually large number of visitorsanticipated that day.

In FIGS. 1-6, the following tables describe the various components ofthe system and method.

FIG. Item # Description 1 101 Weather Company Web Service - retrievescurrent weather conditions for the space 1 102 Temperature Sensor - bothhandheld and stationary broadcast 103 CO2 Sensor 1 104 Light Sensor tocapture ambient, foot candles and color spectrums 1 106 Processing Cloud1 107 Internet Network 1 108 Readings Process - accepts the input fromany device and applies the value before triggering another Actionassessment 1 109 Trigger queue that is input to the AI Activity analysis1 110 Readings Database - used to track readings and Actions that occurwith respect to certain Proper Nouns 1 111 Weight sensor 1 112 RFIDReader - locates inventory items as they move through the space 1 113Water level sensor 1 114 pH Sensor - both handheld and stationarybroadcast 1 115 Electrical Connectivity (EC) Sensor - both handheld andstationary broadcast 1 116 Humidity Sensor

FIG. Item # Description 2 201 Laptop - for input from a user 2 202Tablet - for input from mobile employees 2 203 Bar Code Scanner - forinventory item selection 2 204 Video Camera - stationary cameras forwatching inventory or mobile for collecting Adjuncts 2 205 Data MessageProcessor - receives data from the laptop and tablet and validates it 2206 Natural Language Processor - interprets user comments and convertsthem to data messages 2 207 Photo Analyzer - interprets photos andcreates Adjunct updates 2 208 Video Analyzer - interprets video sequenceand creates Adjunct updates 2 209 Readings Database - used to trackreadings and Actions that occur with respect to certain Proper Nouns 2210 Readings Process - accepts the input from any device and applies thevalue before triggering another Action assessment 2 211 Lexicon NeuralNetwork - defines the relationship between all data items 2 212 Triggerqueue that is input to the AI Activity analysis 2 213 Processing Cloud

FIG. Item # Description 3 301 Receipt Printer 3 302 Restaurant/KitchenManagement System 3 303 Manufacturing Management System (ERM/CRM) 3 304Activity Management Software Running on a tablet or Laptop 3 305 BarCode Scanner - for inventory item selection 3 306 Bar Code LabelPrinter - for inventory tags 3 308 Readings Database - used to trackreadings and Actions that occur with respect to certain Proper Nouns 3309 Lexicon Neural Network - defines the relationship between all dataitems 3 310 Readings Process - accepts the input from any device andapplies the value before triggering another Action assessment 3 311Adjustment Process - updates the Adjuncts of Proper Nouns 3 312 DataMessage Processor - restructures messages from other managementprocesses 3 314 Trigger queue that is input to the AI Activity analysis3 315 Time Related Action Process - reviews each Proper Noun 3 316Processing Cloud

FIG. Item # Description 4 401 Proper Noun Time Assessment - reviews eachProper Noun to determine if it has expired or requires an Action to beperformed 4 402 Proper Noun Reading Assessment - reviews the readingsfor the Proper Noun and adjusts the Actions 4 403 Adjunct Change -process for handling changes to Adjunct values 4 404 Action Feedback -will assess the feedback from the Character and alter ProperNoun-related Actions or Adjuncts 4 405 Proper Noun Change Queue - listof changes to be applied 4 406 Lexicon Neural Network - defines therelationship between all data items 4 407 Proper Noun ActionAssessment - reviews the Actions to be performed for a Proper Noun todetermine what is required 4 408 Currently Logged In database 4 409 NounRules for applying the Adjunct values for creating the Activity list 4410 Action Distribution - determines which current Character isavailable and skilled enough to perform the Action 4 411 Tablet orlaptop application that displays the Activity list for the day for thisCharacter

FIG. Item # Description 5 501 Family - represents a list of relatedProper or Common Nouns 5 502 Nouns 5 503 Proper Nouns 5 504 Verbs 5 505Family - represents a list of related Nouns 5 506 Nouns 5 507 ProperNouns

FIG. Item # Description 6 601 Display of an Action to be done 6 602Display of the list of Actions after an Action has been completed 6 603Done button - tells the System that the Action has been completed 6 604Processing Cloud 6 605 Natural Language Processor - interprets usercomments and converts them to data messages 6 606 Message Parser tointerpret new messages from the tablet or laptop application 6 607Action Completion Process - marks the Action as complete and triggersthe Action assignment process that it can reassess the ProperNoun-related Actions for the next Action 6 608 Fuzzy Logic model thatuses probabilities of skill level, performance on previous Actions, andother user feed- back to select Characters for given Actions

According to illustrative embodiments, FIGS. 7-29 include use cases,which illustrate possible implementations of the as-described softwareand/or hardware, and with integrated diagrams and/or detaileddescriptions thereof.

One implementation of an Ophanim Ecosystem can be in an indoor park orsimilar facility. Described below are the various interactions (usecases) that will occur among actors and the various server processes insuch a case. Although this is a specific implementation of an OphanimEcosystem, conceptually it is similar to any other implementation inthat there are multiple server processes operating and multiple actors(both human and non-human) interacting with those processes.

The illustrated use cases are broken up by the system that will besupporting them. The processes implicated include the following:

Activity Management,

Information Kiosk and Visitor Interactions,

Inventory Management,

Sound System Management,

Corporate Event Management, and

General Management.

Each use case can include the interaction from each actor (usually ahuman but at times a sensor or other automated device) and the system.Additionally, the interaction between the System and the server-basedinformation is also outlined.

The age of the actor will affect the content of any response andselection list for games and other activities.

Activity Management

The following use cases are related to production of Activity lists foremployees, volunteers, and automated devices. An activity can includeany Action that is required by any operation.

1. Retrieve Activity List

The Activity list is personalized for each actor depending on Adjunctssuch as when they are available or the certifications and skill levelnecessary for the various Actions.

Actors:

Employee

Volunteer

Server Process or Service

Preconditions

The actor must be known to the system as someone or something that canreceive Activities.

Basic Flow

FIG. 7 shows how most requests for Activities will be handled. Thesystem will first validate if the requestor (item #s 701-705) is valid.The challenge is determining if the actor is qualified for a particularActivity (item #s 706-710) as accomplishing this involves gray areas ofAdjunct checking (close may be good enough). For checking of “stretch”qualifications, the Adjuncts may be just out of the gray range but theactor has expressed an interest to learn. Once the Activities areselected and training material is added to them, the list will beforwarded to the requesting system (Items #s 711-713).

Alternative Flow

FIG. 8 shows that for machine actors, the data flow changes somewhatbecause the amount of time does not need to be checked. The selectionwill be done based on whether the server has the executable to run andwhether the Action start time has arrived. This is illustrated in items801-809.

Exception Flow

There are a number of situations to consider in the exception flows. Thefollowing list is not exhaustive but should reflect the majorexceptions:

Fatal Programming Errors—Generate a message to the log and alert thesupport staff via email and/or text.

Database Errors—If the actor already has Activities in their list,forward them. Follow that with email or text to the support staff.

Empty Activity Queue—If there is nothing in the Activity queue, a queryshould be generated to retrieve any “always do” Actions.

Communication Link Failure—If there is a network failure, all Actions inthe actor's list will be freed and placed back in the Activity Queue.

Post Conditions/Result

A list of the Actions containing the following will be sent to theactor:

Work Steps—description, images, video

Video demonstration

List of required supplies, equipment and anything else required toperform the Action

Must Start Time—if the Action should start by a certain time

Must Complete Time—if the Action should end by a certain time

The Activities will be updated in the queue to log to which actor eachAction was assigned and when.

2. Start an Activity

Every Activity list that is issued must provide back a start, a turnback, or a time out. In this case, the start of the Activity isdocumented. It means that the actor has decided to begin the firstAction and to start recording the Actions taken, the results to begathered along with any feedback from the actor.

Actors:

Employee

Volunteer

Server Process

Preconditions

The requesting person/machine must be known to the system as someone orsomething that can start an Activity. Additionally, the Activity had tohave been assigned to the actor.

Basic Flow

FIG. 9 shows how starting an Activity list will be handled. The basicflow is to check that the actor sending in the message was assigned theActivity and has the time to complete it (Item #s 901-908). The serverwill return a message that indicates that the Activity can be started(Items #s 909-912). Upon that notification, if the actor is a humanusing an application, the application will present them with the list ofwork steps and training materials.

Alternative Flow

FIG. 10 shows that for machine actors, the data flow changes somewhatbecause there are no work steps (Item #s 1001-1008). There is only therunning of an executable (Item #s 1009-1010).

Exception Flow

There are a number of situations to consider in the exception flows. Thefollowing list is not exhaustive but should reflect the majorexceptions:

Fatal Programming Errors—Generate a message to the log and alert thesupport staff via email and/or text.

Database Errors—If the start message is ready then send it. Otherwise,Ophanim will not error on the side of caution and send a start “OK”message. The system should queue any information that still needs to beupdated in the database.

Communication Link Failure—If there is a network failure, the serverwill attempt to connect to actor. If after three attempts to connect,the actor cannot be found, their Activities will be freed and messageswill be sent to the support staff.

Post Conditions/Result

The actor will be presented with the work steps for each Action and alist of the supplies necessary to complete the Action.

The work steps will include a description and training materials(images, videos, etc.).

For the human actors, a small clock will start that can be set to countdown or up by the actor. This mechanism is in place to providechallenges to completing an Action.

3. Report a Reading

While completing a given Action, the actor may need to report Adjunctreadings. These are measurements, observations and data from monitoringsystems and used in the AI management algorithms. The process of sendingin the recorded reading message will be generalized for the purposes ofsimplifying the software.

Reading can be derived from any of the following:

Equipment where the value is inputted as the reading. For instance, thevalue on a pH tester will be inputted.

Observation will be where a person is giving a subjective opinion of anAdjunct. An example will be leaf color where a person may say the coloris Forest Green. The possible readings will be limited to reduce theeffect of subjectivity to the extent possible (e.g., the person willhave to choose a color from a list).

Automated sensor that takes a reading and then sends it to the server.

The readings are used to determine:

If further Actions are needed with respect to the Thing.

If other Things require an Action.

Whether there are any unintended consequences as a result of this Actionor other Actions on other Things.

Actors:

Employee

Volunteer

Server Process and Service

Automated Sensors

Preconditions

The person/machine/sensor must be known to the system as someone orsomething that can enter readings. The reading must also contain theproper identifier of the Thing and the Adjunct being measured.

Basic Flow

FIG. 11 shows how a reading will be received from an actor or serveractor (Item #s 1101-1105) and then processed (Item #s 1106-1107). Anotification of new readings on a Thing is then sent to the process thatis assessing new activities (Item #s 1108-1112) to determine if furtheraction may be needed.

Alternative Flow

For automated sensor actors, FIG. 12 shows that the data flow changessomewhat because many of those processes require the data to bepre-processed before being added to the database. The data is sent to aprocess that reformats the data (Item #s 1201-1206) and creates theproper reading information. A notification of new readings on a Thing isthen sent to the process that is assessing new activities (Item #s207-1209) to determine if further action may be needed.

Exception Flow

There are a number of situations to consider in the exception flows. Thefollowing list is not exhaustive but should reflect the majorexceptions:

Fatal Programming Errors—Generate a message to the log and alert thesupport staff via email and/or text.

Database Errors—If the reading does not get saved, the data is queuedand then retried after the database becomes available.

Post Conditions/Result

New reading data will be added to the database. That data is nowavailable to be considered as the conditions of all Things are analyzedto determine if an Action is necessary and whether a particular Activitycaused some unintended consequences.

4. Get Education on a Work Step

There will be times when an actor may need some instruction oncompleting an Activity or Action. This use case is about how a personwill invoke the various methods to view training material and the eventsthat take place after the training has been completed.

Actors:

Employee

Volunteer

Basic Flow

FIG. 13 shows how a person will invoke the various methods to viewtraining material. The initial training material will be downloaded withthe activity information. The process starts with the user selecting thetype of training material (Item #s 1301-1305). The material is thenformatted and displayed (Item #s 1306-1309). If the actor decides moreinformation is required, they can formulate a question which will (Item#s 1306-1323):

Be converted to text if it was spoken.

Then need to be put through Retrieval software that will select fromlocal and public sources to answer the question.

All material will be returned to the actor.

Once the training is complete, a message is sent to the server so thatthe actor's Adjuncts can be updated as they have now been trained.

Alternative Flow

No alternative flow is required.

Exception Flow

There are a number of situations to consider in the exception flows. Thefollowing list is not exhaustive but should reflect the majorexceptions:

Fatal Programming Errors—Generate a message to the log and alert thesupport staff via email and/or text.

Missing Training Content—Generate a message and send it to the server todownload the necessary information.

Post Conditions/Result

The actor will receive the information and then provide feedback onwhether the information was helpful. Upon the successful completion ofthe training, a message is sent to server to update the actor's Adjunctsto include the Activity's training.

5. Send Feedback On Work Steps

Feedback will be used to determine whether the work steps for aparticular Action need to be changed. A new set of work steps may resultand the selection of the old or new will be left up to the Activity listsoftware.

Actors:

Employee

Volunteer

Basic Flow

FIG. 14 shows a method a Character will invoke to provide feedback on anActivity. They will select the feedback button on any application (Items1401-1403) and create a feedback message (Item #s 1404-1408). Thismessage is then processed to determine the impact that it may have onactivities, work steps or individuals (Item #s 1409-1414).

All Activity and work step information on which the feedback is based onshould be collected to be passed on to the server.

If the feedback was spoken, use a Speech to Text tool to convert thespoken feedback to a statement.

The feedback statement is then processed to determine how the feedbackwill affect the work steps that were assigned to the actor.

Alternative Flow

No alternative flow is required.

Exception Flow

There are a number of situations to consider in the exception flows. Thefollowing list is not exhaustive but should reflect the majorexceptions:

Fatal Programming Errors—Generate a message to the log and alert thesupport staff via email and/or text.

Database Errors—If the feedback or the work step changes do not getsaved, the data is queued and then retried after the database becomesavailable.

Feedback Not Understandable—If the software could not decipher what thefeedback was trying to indicate, a return message will be sent back tothe Character to restate the feedback so that the system can properlyact on it.

Post Conditions/Result

The Character will receive a thank-you acknowledgement for theircomments. The system will maintain the work step changes and add them tothe list of work steps available for an Action.

6. Update a Profile

All employees and volunteers will create a profile that defines thevarious Adjuncts that defines them. This will include:

Name

Address

Phone Number

Email Address

Permission to maintain a facial recognition model

List of Activity requirements (such as ServSafe Certification forworking in the restaurant).

Actors:

Employee

Volunteer

Basic Flow

FIG. 15 shows how a Character will send an update to their profile. Theywould select an adjunct and update the reading for that adjunct (Item #s1501-1506).

Alternative Flow

No alternative flow is required.

Exception Flow

There are a number of situations to consider in the exception flows. Thefollowing list is not exhaustive but should reflect the majorexceptions:

Fatal Programming Errors—Generate a message to the log and alert thesupport staff via email and/or text.

Database Errors—If the reading does not get saved, the data is queuedand then retried after the database becomes available.

Post Conditions/Result

The Character's Adjuncts will be updated and then used when assessingActivities to assign to them.

Information Kiosk and Visitor Interactions

The following use cases are related to a Kiosk System that will provideinformation, entertainment, and people/machine engagement. People willinteract with the system via a keyboard, touchscreen, and/or throughspoken conversation. The system will reply back through the Kiosk'sscreen or verbally through the attached speakers.

1. Greet Visitor

When a person arrives at the Kiosk, the system needs to greet the personwith varying phrases. Greetings should vary depending on:

If the person is recognized.

If they are an employee or visitor.

Whether or not they interacted with another Kiosk before this one.

The person's approximate age.

Time of day.

The general idea is to engage the actor in a conversation.

Actors:

Employee

Volunteer

Visitor

Basic Flow

FIG. 16 shows the flow of information as a conversation is being startedand then engaged. The engagement starts by creating a facial model ofthe person and determining if the system knows who it is (Item #s1601-1610). If the person is known to the system (Item #1607) aconversation is built passed on the past. If the conversation is new(Item #s 1608), an initial conversation is sent to the kiosk. The systemwill need to wait for a response from the person, analyze the response,and then reply, turn-taking technique. The conversation is thenconverted to an audio file and then spoken back to the user (Item #s1609-1613) The conversation is ended by a lull in the conversation or ifthe person leaves (Item #s 1614-1619).

The system will know if the person was at a Kiosk before this one.

Alternative Flow

No alternative flow is required.

Exception Flow

There are a number of situations to consider in the exception flows. Thefollowing list is not exhaustive but should reflect the majorexceptions:

Fatal Programming Errors—Generate a message to the log and alert thesupport staff via email and/or text.

Response Not Understandable—If the software could not decipher what theresponse meant. A return message will be sent back to the actor torestate the response so that the system can continue the conversation.

Post Conditions/Result

The actor will enter into a conversation with the Kiosk Software wherebyany information relevant to the actor's activities will be madeavailable.

2. Ask a General Question

During the conversation between the actor and Kiosk, the actor may ask aquestion that is general in nature. For instance, how doesphotosynthesis work?

The system will need to be able to reach out to public sources to getthe information from multiple sources and put together a consensusanswer for the actor.

Actors:

Employee

Volunteer

Visitor

Basic Flow

FIG. 17, FIG. 37A and FIG. 37B shows the process that will be used togather information to satisfy general questions. Multiple searches willbe created to find information on local databases as well as fromInternet sources. The process starts by converting the spoken word totext (Item #s 1701-1705 and 37A0-37A05) to be used for searching. Thesystem will then use data mining techniques to search (Item #s 1706-1711and 37A06) the various databases. The results are then converted toaudio files to be spoken back to the requestor (Item #s 1712-1714 and37A10-37A17).

Returning results will be immediately returned to the Conversationsoftware so that they can be presented as if the Kiosk software isanswering.

Alternative Flow

No alternative flow is required.

Exception Flow

There are a number of situations to consider in the exception flows. Thefollowing list is not exhaustive but should reflect the majorexceptions:

Fatal Programming Errors—Generate a message to the log and alert thesupport staff via email and/or text.

Internet Connection—If the connection is down, send a message to theConversation software that data is coming. The request will be queuedand resent when the connection is back.

Database Error—The request will be queued until the database comes backonline.

Actor Leaves—If the actor leaves the Kiosk, all requests are cancelledand the conversation is terminated.

Post Conditions/Result

The actor will receive the response, which might be a combination ofinformation from several sources. Should data from the local databaseand a public source come to the Kiosk at the same time, the local datawill be presented first.

3. Ask a Question on a Specific Object

During the conversation between the actor and Kiosk, the actor may ask aquestion with a hand gesture or that is directed at a specific object inthe business. For instance, what is that?

The system will need to query the local database to get all relevantinformation about the object. Additionally, general queries are made toaugment the information.

Actors:

Employee

Volunteer

Visitor

Basic Flow

FIG. 18 shows the process that will be used to gather information tosatisfy a question about a specific object. The process starts byconverting the spoken word to text (Item #s 1801-1807) to be used forsearching. The system will then use data mining techniques to search(Item #s 1808-1813) the various databases. The results are thenconverted to audio files to be spoken back to the requestor (Item #s1814-1816).

Returning results will be immediately returned to the Conversationsoftware so that they can be presented as coming from the Kiosksoftware. Data from local sources should be displayed first whenmultiple-source information comes in together.

Alternative Flow

No alternative flow is required.

Exception Flow

There are a number of situations to consider in the exception flows. Thefollowing list is not exhaustive but should reflect the majorexceptions:

Fatal Programming Errors—Generate a message to the log and alert thesupport staff via email and/or text.

Internet Connection—If the connection is down, send a message to theConversation software that data is coming. The request will be queuedand resent when the connection is back.

Database Error—The request will be queued until the database comes backonline.

Actor Leaves—If the actor leaves the Kiosk, all requests are cancelledand the conversation is terminated.

Post Conditions/Result

The actor will receive the information, which is a combination ofinformation from several sources.

4. Play a Game

This use case involves showing the list games that the enterprise isproviding for the public. The actor will:

1. Select a game.

2. Be presented with the rules.

3. Receive any equipment necessary to play the game.

4. Start the game.

5. Ask the Kiosk to keep score.

6. Allow “trash” talking by the Kiosk.

Actors:

Employee

Volunteer

Visitor

Basic Flow

FIG. 19 shows how a person will select a game to play. Using a naturallanguage processing, a request for a game (Item #s 1901-1906) is madeand the information retrieved for the selected game. Information on thegame is then displayed (Item #s 1907-1912). The person may then chooseto use the kiosk for scoring and trash talking (Item #s 1916-1921).

Should a game be started and require equipment, an Action record tobring the visitor the required equipment will be added to the queue(Item #s 1913-1915) such that it can be immediately assigned to anemployee.

Alternative Flow

No alternative flow is required.

Exception Flow

There are a number of situations to consider in the exception flows. Thefollowing list is not exhaustive but should reflect the majorexceptions:

Fatal Programming Errors—Generate a message to the log and alert thesupport staff via email and/or text.

Equipment Unavailable—A message will be generated and sent to the actorthat no equipment is available to please try later.

Network Failure—A message will be generated to please ask an employeefor the required equipment.

Post Conditions/Result

The actor will receive the information on the selected game. If a gameis started, the system will track the time, keep score and do some“trash” talking (if selected).

5. View Business Offerings

This use case revolves around the actor asking for information on abusiness serviced by the Kiosk. This will include advertisements, shortdescriptions, images, and videos. An example of this may be a menu fromthe restaurant.

Actors:

Employee

Volunteer

Visitor

Basic Flow

FIG. 20 shows when the actor will ask a question whose answer requiresinformation about an associated business (Item #s 2001-2008). Theinformation for the associated business will be pulled from the localdatabase (Item #s 2009-2014) and sent to the Kiosk to be communicated(Item #s 2015-2017).

Alternative Flow

No alternative flow is required.

Exception Flow

There are a number of situations to consider in the exception flows. Thefollowing list is not exhaustive but should reflect the majorexceptions:

Fatal Programming Errors—Generate a message to the log and alert thesupport staff via email and/or text.

Internet Connection—If the connection is down, send a message to theConversation software that data is coming. The request will be queuedand resent when the connection is back.

Database Error—The request will be queued until the database comes backonline.

Actor Leaves—If the actor leaves, all requests are cancelled and theconversation is terminated.

Post Conditions/Result

The actor will receive the information on the business that wasrequested.

6. Generate Demographic Information

For each person who enters the facility, a set of demographicinformation will be generated that includes the age and number ofactors.

Actors:

Employee

Volunteer

Visitors

Basic Flow

FIG. 21 shows that the actor need only pass by a 3D camera when theyfirst enter the facility. The camera's software will do a facialrecognition model (Item #s 2101-2104) on the actor and determine the agerange. This information will be pushed to the server and saved with thefacial model for further analysis (Item #s 2105-2112).

Alternative Flow

No alternative flow is required.

Exception Flow

There are a number of situations to consider in the exception flows. Thefollowing list is not exhaustive but should reflect the majorexceptions:

Fatal Programming Errors—Generate a message to the log and alert thesupport staff via email and/or text.

Database Error—The request will be queued until the database comes backonline.

Post Conditions/Result

The running count and types of individuals in the park will be availablefor the digital sound system and any other reporting that might benecessary.

7. Inventory Management

One of the ongoing Activities of this system is to manage all of theinventory items of all of the associated business operations. Some ofthe most important functions of Inventory Management:

Location of all items.

Quantity of all items.

Keeping track of expiring items and minimizing loss through spoilage.

Collection of data on new items.

Allocation of items to support business activities.

Receive Inventory

As inventory arrives, an employee will need to check it into the systemso that it can be allocated for Actions and to support variousassociated businesses.

Actors:

Employee

Basic Flow

FIG. 22 shows that the Character will select a business for which theinventory item will be assigned (Item #s 2201-2207). The UPC might thenbe used to define the product and input the quantity, weight, and otherrelevant information (Item #s 2208-2220). If the item does not have aUPC, a barcode with an item-unique ID tag can be printed and affixed.The inventory data is added to the to the database and the activityanalysis is then triggered (Item #s 2221-2224).

The data is then saved in the database and made available to theActivity assignment process.

Alternative Flow

No alternative flow is required.

Exception Flow

There are a number of situations to consider in the exception flows. Thefollowing list is not exhaustive but should reflect the majorexceptions:

Fatal Programming Errors—Generate a message to the log and alert thesupport staff via email and/or text.

Database Error—The request will be queued until the database comes backonline.

Network Connection Failure—If the network connection is down, thereceiving data will be queued on the actor's machine and then uploadedwhen the network is restored.

Post Conditions/Result

The actor will receive a list of all of the items they processed inorder to reconcile against the packing slip.

8. Expiring Inventory

This use case is one in which a server process will be constantlylooking through the list of unused inventory items to find items thatare about to expire and then create Actions that will use them.

Actors:

Server Process

Basic Flow

FIG. 23 shows a loop through the list of current inventory items lookingfor items expiring in the next two days (Item #s 2301-2303). Those itemsare then used to determine if there are any optional Actions in whichthe expiring item will be consumed. These activities are then added tothe Activity queue for assignment (Item #s 2304-2308).

Alternative Flow

No alternative flow is required.

Exception Flow

There are a number of situations to consider in the exception flows. Thefollowing list is not exhaustive but should reflect the majorexceptions:

Fatal Programming Errors—Generate a message to the log and alert thesupport staff via email and/or text.

Database Error—The request will be queued until the database comes backonline.

Post Conditions/Result

A set of Activities that were added to the queue for assignment

Sound System Management

The following use case is related to creation of the digital sound filethat is used to change the music that is being played throughout thepark.

1. Create Sound File

The file contains data from the following areas:

Outside weather conditions.

Demographic data for the people in the park.

Sensor data for the internal environment.

Adjunct readings for certain Proper Nouns in the park, such asreservoirs and thermostats.

Sales receipts.

Actors:

Server Process

Basic Flow

FIG. 24 shows that the program will run every 10 minutes and present thedigital sound system with an XML file that contains all of the latestinformation for the park. The program gathers the weather data (Item#2402), park demographics (Item #2403), adjunct readings (Item #2405),and sales information (Item #2406). The data is then assembled into anXML file for input to the sound system (Item #2407).

Alternative Flow

No alternative flow is required.

Exception Flow

There are a number of situations to consider in the exception flows. Thefollowing list is not exhaustive but should reflect the majorexceptions:

Fatal Programming Errors—Generate a message to the log and alert thesupport staff via email and/or text.

Database Error—The process is halted and will try again in 10 minutes.

Internet Connection—If the connection is down, the file will use thelast information that was received.

Post Conditions/Result

The process results in an XML file that will be used as an input to thedigital sound system.

Corporate Event Management

The following use cases are related to management of corporate and otherevents that will be scheduled for the park.

1. Booking an Event

This use case revolves around the inputting of the necessary informationto reserve the park and all of the necessary accoutrements.

Actors:

Employee

Corporate Planner

Basic Flow

FIG. 25 shows that the actor will input the necessary data in order tobook the event (Item #s 2501-2505). The data will be validated to assurethat the date and the necessary supplies are available or can bepurchased (Item #s 2506-2512).

Alternative Flow

No alternative flow is required.

Exception Flow

There are a number of situations to consider in the exception flows. Thefollowing list is not exhaustive but should reflect the majorexceptions:

Fatal Programming Errors—Generate a message to the log and alert thesupport staff via email and/or text.

Database Error—If the failure happens after the event date is saved, thedata will be queued until the database comes back on line. If thefailure happens before, the actors will receive a message that nobookings can be received at this time.

Post Conditions/Result

The actor will receive a message to the screen that the booking has beenaccepted. Additionally, the actor will be able to create a PDF of theitinerary and all of the supplies necessary.

2. Event Sign-In

When an event has begun, attendees of the event will be asked to sign-inon Kiosk System. The information on the attendee will be then be sent toall Kiosks such that they may carry on conversations.

Actors:

Attendee

Basic Flow

FIG. 26 shows that the attendee will go to any Kiosk and either selecttheir name from the list provided by the host or add their name, thenenter other pertinent information (Item #s 2601-2605). This informationis then matched with the person's facial model so that they can berecognized at any other Kiosk (Item #s 2606-2610).

Alternative Flow

No alternative flow is required.

Exception Flow

There are a number of situations to consider in the exception flows. Thefollowing list is not exhaustive but should reflect the majorexceptions:

Fatal Programming Errors—Generate a message to the log and alert thesupport staff via email and/or text.

Network Connection Failure—If the network connection is down, thereceiving data will be queued on the Kiosk and then uploaded when thenetwork is restored.

Post Conditions/Result

The actor will receive a greeting and the itinerary for the day.

General Management

There are several functions that will be used across applications andbusinesses. These functions revolve around safety and feedback.

Should something happen that creates a safety situation, anyone shouldbe able to report the incident. The server will need to interpret theincident description, decide what activity needs to be created and thenassign the activity to the closest qualified employee to remedy.

Feedback is similar in that the system needs to interpret the text,determine the activities that may be impacted by the feedback, create analternate work step process to match the feedback and assign a usepriority.

1. Incident Reporting

This use case involves the process for reporting an incident and theactions that will take place afterward.

Actors:

Employee

Volunteer

Visitor

Server Process

Basic Flow

FIG. 27 shows that applications within the park will be equipped todisplay an INCIDENT button whereby anyone can report an incident bytyping in or speaking a description of the incident (Item #s 2701-2705).The server will then need to determine what activities should begenerated to deal with the incident (Item #s 2706-2714).

Alternative Flow

FIG. 28 shows that in automated systems that include sensors and otherenvironmental information will also be contribute to the incidentsshould any of them detect a measurement outside the norms (Item #s2801-2803). The server will then need to determine what activitiesshould be generated to deal with the incident (Item #s 2804-2810).

Exception Flow

There are a number of situations to consider in the exception flows. Thefollowing list is not exhaustive but should reflect the majorexceptions:

Fatal Programming Errors—Generate a message to the log and alert thesupport staff via email and/or text.

Database Error—The incident will be queued until the database comes backonline. The activities will be generated and added to the queue.

Network Connection Failure—If the network connection is down, the actorwill receive a message on the screen to seek out an employee.

Post Conditions/Result

The actor will receive a crafted thank you from the application.

2. Provide Feedback

One of the keys to adjusting the system is to use the feedback fromanyone in the park. The system will need to determine what the feedbackis relevant to and then add an activity to assess the feedback or tojust update some activities.

Actors:

Employee

Volunteer

Visitor

Basic Flow

FIG. 29 (Use Case Diagram) and FIG. 38 (Activity Diagram) represent theapplication within the park that will be equipped to display a FEEDBACKbutton whereby anyone can provide feedback by typing in or speaking thecomment (Item #s 2901-2905 and 3801-3808). The server will then need toanalyze the feedback and create activities to address the feedback (Item#s 2906-2914 and 3809-3815).

Alternative Flow

No alternative flow is required.

Exception Flow

There are a number of situations to consider in the exception flows. Thefollowing list is not exhaustive but should reflect the majorexceptions:

Fatal Programming Errors—Generate a message to the log and alert thesupport staff via email and/or text.

Database Error—The feedback will be queued until the database comes backonline. The activities will be generated and added to the queue.

Network Connection Failure—If the network connection is down, thefeedback will be saved and sent to the server when the network isrestored.

Post Conditions/Result

The actor will receive a crafted thank you from the application.

FIGS. 30-37 include activity diagrams for a kiosk conversation, similarto the use cases, but showing how different use cases might affect oneanother, and with integrated diagrams and/or detailed descriptionsthereof.

FIG. 30 depicts the activity that occurs when a person walks into thepark and approaches the kiosk (Item #s 3001-3003). Server functions arethen invoked to determine if the person is known to the system (Item #s3004-3007). The kiosk will then need to determine the conversation thatwill occur (Item #s 3008-3017) and display it.

FIG. 31 represents the activity that occurs when an employee isrecognized via facial recognition (Item #s 3101-3102). The server willthen put together a conversation (Item #s 3103-3105) to be spoken backthrough the kiosk (Item #s 3106-3111).

FIG. 32 represents the activity that occurs when a volunteer isrecognized via facial recognition (Item #s 3201-3202). The server willthen put together a conversation (Item #s 3203-3207) to be spoken backthrough the kiosk (Item #s 3108-3212).

FIG. 33A and FIG. 33B represents the activity that occurs when a visitorapproaches the kiosk (Item #33A01). The kiosk will assemble currentinformation to be used for conversations (Item #s 33A02-33A03). Thekiosk will then start by asking simple questions (Item #s 33A06-33A07).The response would then be converted to text and analyzed, a newstatement and question created (Item #s 33A09-33A23). The server willprocess all requests from the visitor (Items #s 33601-33614).

FIG. 34A and FIG. 34B represents the activity that occurs when anemployee approaches the kiosk (Item #s 34A01-34A09) and is directed touse a Staff Activity Tablet. The tablet application will then be useddirect the employee on the activities scheduled for them (Item #s34601-34616).

FIG. 35A and FIG. 35B represents the activity that occurs when anemployee begins an activity on the tablet (Item #s 35A01-35A02). Thetablet will have the functionality to select an activity (Item #35A04),display a supply list (Item #35A06), and send feedback (Item #35A12).FIG. 35B represents the activities that occur when an employee orvolunteer is executing an activity.

FIG. 36A represents the activity that occurs when a person decides to bea volunteer. The volunteer's information is inputted (Item #s36A01-36A08) and sent to the server (Item #s 36A09-36A13). FIG. 36Brepresents the saving of volunteer information to the data base.

The present invention when employed with a third-party AI analyticalsystem form an integrated suite of software that will allow any businessto have access to data mining and other AI tools. (The below discussioncontemplates Ophanim's interacting with IBM's Watson™ for illustrativepurposes and is depicted in FIG. 39. Ophanim could also interact with adifferent AI analytical service, such as that offered by Google orAmazon Web Services, in much the same way.)

The key services provided by this software include:

Visibility as to how well each of the business' operations isfunctioning on its own and in terms of the enterprise as a whole.

Business advisement utilizing Watson's™ cognitive reasoning.

Inventory management.

Activity management.

Data collection and analysis using sensors and other input devices.

In addition to the managerial-related service, the software supportssystems that assist in running the enterprise, such as:

Staff Assistant—this is a tablet/smart phone application that functionsas an interactive checklist of Actions that the employee or volunteer isexpected to perform during a given shift. Additionally, the applicationprovides advice from the knowledgebase and the Internet. A supplementarynatural language interface provides a user-friendly means ofcommunication.

Information Kiosk—this is an avatar-based application that is programmedas a game and that uses a natural language interface to provide an easyway for customers, employees, and other affiliates to gain informationon the business and more.

Managing the Business

Startups, as well as small and medium size businesses, often cannotbenefit from AI systems due to the lack of enough data for effectivedata mining and decision analysis. Ophanim provides AI-poweredmanagement tools that will enable any size business to confront itsday-to-day challenges with expert guidance. To accomplish this, datafrom multiple businesses is scrubbed (identities removed) and combinedto form a large volume of data. The data is then available for mining toallow a third-party AI analytical service such as IBM's Watson™ to useits Cognitive Reasoning to guide each such business.

Below is an outline of the various functional parts of the web-basedsoftware as a service (SaaS). They include:

Business Assessment.

Business Variables Management.

Knowledgebase Management.

Basic Human Resource Management.

Action/Activity Management.

Inventory Management.

Kiosk Management.

Business Assessment

The Business Assessment area of the software suite will allow users toreceive feedback about their enterprises. The system uses data collected(then scrubbed) from participating businesses, as well as informationprovided by the user, as input to Watson's™ Cognitive Reasoning APIs.The system will perform assessments regularly, so users can receiveadvice on demand.

At the heart of the system is a set of applications that will monitorActions being performed, sales, and feedback from customers and staff.This data is combined with environmental information and data from otherparticipating businesses to help answer questions like:

Are products properly priced?

Is staffing sufficient or excessive?

Are there changes in competitor offerings?

Are the locations appropriate and safe for staffing and sales?

To accomplish this, data can be constantly garnered from participatingbusinesses and from publicly-available sources such as websites and newsprograms. Several processes are used to glean useful information fromthese sources.

Operations Advisement

Throughout the day, the business environment is in a constant state ofchange. New competitors might enter the market, and price changes bycompetitors can affect profitability. Critical Actions may not becompleted in the allocated time, thereby raising the business's costs orcausing it to miss service commitments. Staying on top of all areas is adifficult task.

Ophanim's Advisement System plays an integral role in keeping track ofall of the business's operations by making assessments such as these:

Comparing products and services with those of competitors in terms offunctionality and price.

Determining if any location of the business is in an area that hasdisruptive activity planned, such as new construction, roadwork,parades, or protests.

Monitoring school calendars if the business can be affected by whetheror not school is in session.

Determining what calendar reminders to send for events that can affectthe business, such as tax filing deadlines, important industry meetings,holidays, and forecasted severe weather.

This process will run throughout the day to be ready on demand.

Financial Advisement

One of the major tasks of the Advisement System is to provide a separateset of “eyes” on the books. Many small businesses do not have thewherewithal, especially in the beginning, to hire an accountant toadvise them.

The Advisement System will be looking to answer questions such as these:

Are margins appropriate for the industry and enough to support thebusiness?

Is the cash flow sufficient or should short-time financing be pursued?

Is product pricing correct or should it be raised or lowered?

Product and Service Advisement

The Advisement System will provide the business with informationrelating to its various products and services, such as these:

What is the current margin and how does that compare to the business'shistorical margins and to industry standards?

How do customers rate the product or service and what modifications havethey recommended?

How does the product or service compare to those offered by competitorsin terms of price and features?

Are there process-related or other changes that can be made to improvethe product or service and/or its margin?

Business Variable Management

There are thousands of variables that are used in managing the business.While some of these variables can be derived from outside sources, mostwill need to be inputted by the user. To the extent possible, thesoftware will use natural language interfaces and gamified

UIs to make the data input process both more enjoyable and moreunderstandable to the user than is the case with traditional software.If for no other reason than to minimize errors, it is important that theuser knows why the information is being requested.

As data is entered, it will be validated for correctness andreasonability. To determine if data is reasonable, it will be comparedwith corresponding data already in the data silo. This will not stop thedata from being entered but will alert the user that the data beingentered is out of the norm.

Data will be collected in the following areas: employee information;product and services specifications; facility information; clientinformation; supplier information; inventory information (assuming thatthe business already has commenced operations); and process flows.

Business Goals

In order to assess the enterprise properly, its goals need to be fullyunderstood. A participating business may want to maximize profits whilestill providing some social good to the community. In this section ofthe System, the user will be asked a series of questions to helpdetermine the business's goals.

(Tracking the financial variables of the business is made easier byallowing data to be exchanged with widely-used accounting software andbanks' websites.)

Product/Service Definitions

To develop assessments on processes or competition for the business'sproducts and services, the specifications for each product and serviceneeds to be entered into the System. Should the information alreadyexist on a company website, the pages will be scraped to provide thebase information. The business will then need to edit the data to givethe AI model the best chance at producing helpful assessments.

Some of the basic information on will include: the name of the productor service; identifiers (including those used in the industry, bygovernment, and by the business); specifications along industrystandards (such as height, weight, dimensions, and colors);manufacturing process description including required labor andmaterials; and service requirements including required labor andmaterials.

Knowledgebase Management

The knowledgebase will be made available to all businesses thatparticipate in data sharing. Its use will be to augment the business'sown data to aid Watson™ in developing helpful assessments.

The knowledgebase data will be drawn from participating businesses,Internet sites, and other publicly-available sources, and, possibly,certain commercial sources. The data will be scrubbed of any companyidentifying information and then placed in a database structured forspeedy data mining.

Basic Human Resource Management

To schedule Actions and support business activities for employees andvolunteers, Ophanim needs to have the basic human resource informationavailable. The data contains information to be used for the following:governmental reporting and compliance; Activity assignment; employeemanagement (related to hiring, compensation, promotions, vacations,etc.); and employee/volunteer Information;

The data collected for an individual can include: name; address; taxID—this value is redacted and encrypted on the system; skills ratingsfor any Action that the individual may receive (including any licensesand certifications); training programs to improve skills; preferredshifts; and constraints on what Actions or shifts to which theindividual should be assigned.

Documentation

Ophanim's Human Resource System allows the user to input and retrievedocuments that were submitted with respect to an employee. Suchdocuments might include: employment application; volunteer application;W-9; work visas; ID verification; and transcripts, certificates,licenses and other evidence of specific training or skills.

Scheduling

There is an art to developing a schedule whereby employees are happy,all relevant labor regulations and laws are followed, and all of thenecessary Actions are assigned. Developing such a schedule that alsopromotes efficiency and productivity for the business is even morechallenging.

Many methodologies and optimization models have been tested in order tolearn how to develop schedules that work. These schedules can begenerated at any interval and are based around considerations such asthese: the Actions that are currently in the queue for the day; therelative priority of each such Action; employee availability (includingrecent shift history); how productive each employee has been at certainActions at different times of the day; upcoming business events; weatherforecasts; and school calendars.

All of this data is used to produce the most optimized schedule.Individuals are notified of their schedule on a frequency selected bythe business owner. A text is sent daily to each scheduled individualthat highlights the Actions to which they will be assigned for the day.

Action/Activity Management

The main purpose of this System is to reduce the number of managersneeded for a business by allowing Ophanim to manage the day-to-dayActions and to improve how they are being performed. This might beaccomplished via a smart phone or tablet application that all staffmembers will be issued. More information on this application can befound in the Staff Assistant section below.

The System is comparing the immediate and longer term needs of theenterprise with the ability of staff (including their skill levels),inventory, and time. Messages are sent to employees to have variousActions addressed throughout the day, or immediately if the Actionwarrants it.

There are several components that are all running independently of eachother but will collectively feed the Action pipeline to the staff. Thecomponents are:

The Activity Scheduler—matches staff members with Activities that arerequired for the day.

Training—based on the business's needs and on staff member's requests toenhance skills or grow in the organization, training Actions will beadded to the schedule.

Feedback Loop—this accepts feedback from staff and customers, thendevelops a list of the relevant processes, service or products, and/orstaff members for review.

Staff Productivity—this measurement is around the need for rework of anAction, feedback (positive and negative) from staff and customers, andinput from the part of the System that is assessing unintendedconsequences.

Activity Scheduler

The Activity Scheduler engine is a process that takes in informationfrom the following:

Product/Service Commitments—these are product deliveries and servicelevel agreements that need to be addressed today.

Maintenance Actions—these are Actions that need to be done to maintainequipment and the facility.

Immediate Actions—these Actions are introduced due to an eventoccurring. An example would be to create an Action to clean up brokenglass.

Staff Availability—this includes staff currently assigned to work and alist of staff members who could be called in to help should it berequired.

Training Requirements—to allow staff members to grow, Actions will beadded that will give them an opportunity to learn or improve a businessskill.

The System takes in the data from above and creates the most optimalassignment of Activities for a given day. The Activities are then sentto the Staff Assistant application to be acted upon.

Training

To make staff members as productive and as happy as possible, the Systemincludes training time and material in the daily Activities that thestaff receives. This is done by the following means:

Each Action that is created has the ability to add training material tothe definition.

The business user can define training material and can mark this as acourse that is required for specific Actions or advancement.

The training material can take the form of PDF files, videos, and/orimages. Additionally, there may be an oral or online exam to get creditfor the training.

Staff Productivity

Measurement of a staff member's productivity is often a one-dimensionalmeasurement, as it looks only at how much the staff member accomplishes.The System will take into account factors that might be detrimentallyaffecting the employee's ability to complete the Actions in the timeallotted.

Each Action will be looked at over time to consider:

Who is the person doing the Action?

How much time did they spend?

Did the Action need to be repeated?

Were more materials required to complete the Action?

Did the order in which Actions were performed affect the time and/oramount of materials required?

With this information, Watson's™ Cognitive Reasoning will be employed todetermine if changes should be made.

Feedback Loop

In order for the System to improve over time, feedback needs to bereceived from staff and customers that will highlight things that mightbe changed to improve the business. The capture of the feedback will bedone via the Staff Assistant and the Information Kiosk.

The System will take in the natural language text and run it throughWatson's™ API to determine:

What product, service, staff member, or other business element is thesubject?

Is it a complaint or endorsement?

What Actions are affected?

Does the feedback include a solution?

Has the feedback been received before?

A message is then prepared for the business to review. Changes toActions, products or services, and/or processes referenced in thefeedback can be accepted or rejected with a single click. Any changeswill be tracked for unintended consequences.

Inventory Management

Inventory management is the practice of overseeing and controlling theordering, storage, and use of components that a company uses to producethe goods and services it sells. Inventory management is also thepractice of overseeing and controlling the quantities of finishedproducts for sale.

Advantageously, the tools necessary for the business to manage itsinventory are provided in a way that integrates this activity with theothers managed by the System.

Tracking Inventory Use

Tracking of inventory starts with the acceptance of deliveries. EachAction has a list of inventory items required. As the Action is started,the inventory quantities are adjusted.

The system does not assume that the inventory quantities are correctfrom automated Action adjustments, however, since quantities also changedue to factors such as waste and misplacement. When scheduled manualinventories are taken, the quantities will be adjusted and algorithmswill be built to account for the difference between the calculatedquantity of each item and the quantity actually on hand.

Expiring Goods Analysis

Expiring goods are dairy products and other inventory items with “useby” dates. The use of these goods should be planned to minimize theirwaste.

The System forecasts the rate at which expiring goods will be used byconsidering sales and use data on the goods with help from Watson's™Cognitive Reasoning. The expiration dates are checked well in advance sothat there is time to readjust Actions and schedules so that wastecaused by expiration is minimized.

Information from this process is then passed to the ordering andactivity management processes.

Ordering

The Activity of ordering from suppliers can be both time-consuming andprone to errors. The enterprise needs to create a proper order, thenmake sure that the supplier has filled the order correctly, and,finally, make sure that the supplier has billed only for what wasdelivered and accepted

Leveraging Watson's™ Cognitive Reasoning, an ordering system uses thefollowing information to make its recommendations for ordering: productsthat have been consumed through the various business operations; salesvolumes and forecasts; waste and lost percentages based on input frominventories taken; and analysis of expiring goods.

Orders are then created for each supplier and are made available forreview. The user can then: review the order by supplier, adjust itemquantities, and remove or add items.

Once the order is ready, the user may send the order via email or text.Additionally, the user may print the order should it need to be mailed.Many suppliers, especially those in the food service industry, have beenvery slow to embrace technology. The system overcomes that limitation byallowing a supplier that is an External Agent to log into a website andperform actions such as confirming delivery appointments and creatinginvoices with respect to the business.

Deliveries

Upon receipt of a delivery, the business reconciles it against the orderor orders from which it resulted. Communication with the supplier canoccur directly if it is also a participating business or via the websitediscussed above if it an External Agent. The delivery reconciliationprocess includes confirming proper receipt, noting that the quantitydelivered is different from the quantity ordered, rejecting individualitems due to quality-related or other reasons, and/or rejecting theentire delivery. The system includes a tablet application for deliveryreconciliation that will connect to the Ophanim Database.

Invoicing

Upon receipt of an invoice, the business reconciles it against thedelivery or deliveries to which it applies. Communication with thesupplier can occur directly if it is also a participating business orvia the website discussed above if it is an External Agent. The invoicereconciliation process includes confirming that the quantity of eachitem for which the business is being billed matches the quantityactually delivered and accepted, and that the supplier used the correctprices and delivery charges. The system includes a tablet applicationfor invoice reconciliation that will connect to the Ophanim Database.

Payments

Payment processing is done via downloads and uploads to variousaccounting systems so that payments can be made to the suppliers. TheSystem will keep track of payments that have been made, and the supplierwill then be notified via email or text that a payment is been made.

Kiosk Management

One of the advantageous functions of the System is to engage customers,employees, and volunteers in the business's activities. The InformationKiosk offers an enjoyable way for individuals to do this through oraland text-based communication. The software is designed not only toanswer somebody's questions, but to engage in a conversation that mayinclude tangential topics like family, weather, retirement, and manymore depending on where the conversation leads. Additionally, the Kioskcan be setup to remember the person (if they opt in for saved facialrecognition is selected) so that the conversation can be continued on asubsequent visit.

For the business, the Kiosk software can do more than just greet peopleas they enter the door and talk to them. For example, the System canfacilitate the ordering of products or services offered by the businessdirectly or on a commission basis.

View Current Kiosks

One of the main pages of the Kiosk Management System contains details ofall of the Kiosks supported by the software. The row on a specific Kioskcan include its:

Name.

Mac address.

Location.

Popularity in terms of the number of queries it has received.

Popularity in terms of the number of unique interactions and returningusers.

Most recent update's date and time

Buttons to send an update.

Kiosk Packages

Kiosk packages are a set of files that are used by the Kiosk software toprovide it with:

Location information including longitude and latitude.

Avatars to be used.

Icons and images to be used.

Text describing the business and its products and services.

List of accounts to be used when making reservations or to order goods.This will include logos and the list of fields required.

The data is packaged and queued for download when the Kiosk is ready forupdate. The packages may be used to support multiple Kiosks.

Deployment

Before a Kiosk is deployed, the Mac address and other information mustbe added to the Kiosk Management System and a package assigned. Theinitial loading of the software should be done prior to the Kiosk'sleaving the business facility.

The hardware can include, for example:

32″ touch-screen monitor

Windows 10 or Linux computer.

Speakers.

Directional microphone.

Intel Real-Sense camera.

Staff Assistant

The gamified application runs on a tablet or smart phone can be issuedto all staff members and have the following capabilities:

View the Activity list for the day and allow the user to check offcompleted Actions.

Enter data from sensors, meters, and other measurement devices.

Enter observations (including photographs).

Look Back feature that will allow the user to view needed information(such as previously recorded measurements).

Talk Back feature that will tell the user, in natural language, whatActions are to be operated on and provide a tool for looking up datawithout looking at the screen.

Delivery reconciliation (if the employee is authorized).

Inventory taking (if the employee is authorized).

Interacting with training materials.

Activity Management

This application acts as a gamified manager that will challenge the userto complete their assigned Actions as well as try to coax the user intotaking on Actions to which they have not yet been assigned. Thegamification will take the form of:

Credits earned for completing the work assigned.

Additional credits for completing an Action in less time than wasallocated.

Additional credits for completing an Action using less materials thanwas allocated.

Additional credits for improving the process to complete an Action.

Additional credits for assisting other employees without beinginstructed to do so.

Lost credits if an Action needed to be redone

The business will decide how credits can be redeemed. Possibilitiesinclude additional vacation, mention in employee reviews, and enhancedtraining opportunities.

As a staff member completes an Action, they may simply check it off fromthe Action list. To complete an Action, the following must be done:

All work steps must be finished.

All required information (including any readings or images) must berecorded.

The System has a pause button on it to stop the keeping of time whileworking on an Action. This is done to collect accurate measurements ofthe amount of time an Action takes.

Data Collection

During certain Actions, the user can be asked to collect information andreport it back to the System. The data collection may be in the form of:

Readings from measurement devices.

Images or video taken from the built-in camera.

Sounds collected through the built-in microphone.

Once the data is entered, it is transmitted to the Action Managementserver process where the data is stored and then used to determine ifnew Actions need to be created.

Look Back

Should the user need to view previously recorded information for anAction, this feature will allow the viewing of the data. The amount ofdata will start at a month previous but the user may expand the timeframe.

Talk Back

To make the application fun, a Talk Back feature has been added. Thisfeature will allow the user to ask questions about the work to be doneor to just to get some information. The System will answer back innatural language.

Additionally, through the day, the system can chide the user in order toprovide some levity and a fun conversation.

Deliveries

If the user is authorized to accept deliveries, they can follow theprocedure below to accept or reject a specific delivery:

1. Select the supplier by name.

2. Review the list of open orders.

3. Select the items contained in the delivery.

4. Adjust quantities or reject an item. If the item is rejected, areason must be selected.

5. Once complete, the Accept button is pushed and the data istransmitted to the server.

6. A Reject button is provided in case the entire delivery is rejected.

Take Inventory

If the user is authorized to take inventory, the Take Inventoryapplication can be available for the user to collect the list of what isactually on hand.

The process for each item can be:

1. Use the bar code reader on the input tablet or phone, or take animage of the item and use image recognition, to determine what the itemis.

2. Select the item if there is more than one possibility.

3. Adjust the quantity.

4. Save the value to the server.

Training Material

One of the important functions of this application is the ability toprovide training material at any time the user requests it (includingwhen the user has been assigned an Action that requires them toundertake a training session). The user can read a PDF, watch a video,or review images with text.

Once the lesson is complete, if configured, the user may be asked tocomplete an exam or to get a more senior staff member to conduct apractical exam. Should the user receive a passing grade, their staffmember data can be updated to include the skill represented by thetraining.

Information Kiosk

The Information Kiosk is designed to interact with customers to answerany questions they might have, to develop marketing data via small talkconversation, and to provide a revenue source through the ability tomake a reservation or to order products from another company. Thesoftware is developed as a video game to provide an element of fun.

The Kiosk is managed via the business management pages. A package ofdata for this Kiosk is constructed to contain all of the informationnecessary to run the Kiosk. In the event that the Internet connection isnot available, most of the functionality can be disabled but theconversation functionality of the greeting avatar will remain on.

Greeter

FIG. 40 shows a Greeter that is an avatar that can greet people as theyapproach the Kiosk. For example, the Greeter can say “hello” or someother greeting and then wait for a reply from the person standing infront of the Kiosk. If the person has opted in to allow the Kiosk tomaintain their facial model and the person is recognized, the Greetercan address them by name and continue the conversation from the lastmeeting.

Any question that the person in front of the Kiosk asks by typing or byspeaking and having Watson™ interpret the language, can be analyzed todetermine if the data is in a local data silo or if the question must besent out to the Internet. In either case, the results are sent back tothe screen and spoken back to the person. Should the results not answerthe question, refining questions can be asked and used to train thenatural language classifier.

Weather

FIG. 41 shows Kiosks that can support the weather and a five-dayforecast at each Kiosk's location. For those Kiosks that are inlocations that can provide the indoor temperature, humidity, and airpressure, the data can be sent to the Ophanim Database and then shown onthe weather screen.

Business Philosophy

Downloaded daily is the business philosophy and history of the business.Questions relative to the forming of the business or about thephilosophy can be directed to this scene. The information can be in theform of text that can be shown and read to the customer or a video thatis shown.

Facility Information

FIG. 42 shows facility Information that includes details on the creationof the space, history on the building, and list of surrounding landmarksand historical sites. The data can be in the form of text with images(the text can be read by a selected avatar) or a video.

Products and Services

FIG. 43 shows that for each business, the products and services that areto be highlighted in the Kiosk are described in the package that isbrought down to the device every day. A product or service can have thefollowing information:

Name.

Description.

Avatar to be used to display it.

Ordering fields if the product or service can be purchased or reservedfrom the Kiosk.

Additional multi-media that may include images or video.

Local knowledgebase changes to point Kiosk users to this page forquestions around the product or service.

Create Order/Reservation

As an added feature of the Kiosk, the business may have agreements withthird parties to market or sell another company's products. Forinstance, a hotel may have an account with Open Table that can allowguests to reserve a table at local restaurants. In such a case, thebusiness would receive a commission for each reservation that is filled.

The outside product or service can have the following information:

Name.

Description.

Avatar to be used to display it.

Ordering fields if the product or service can be purchased or reservedfrom the Kiosk.

Additional multi-media that may include images or video.

Local knowledgebase changes to point Kiosk users to this page forquestions around the product or service Knowledgebase changes would bemade in the conversation base as these items would come about as aresult of a conversation.

The above-described devices and subsystems of the illustrativeembodiments can include, for example, any suitable servers,workstations, PCs, laptop computers, PDAs, Internet appliances, handhelddevices, cellular telephones, wireless devices, other devices, and thelike, capable of performing the processes of the illustrativeembodiments. The devices and subsystems of the illustrative embodimentscan communicate with each other using any suitable protocol and can beimplemented using one or more programmed computer systems or devices.

One or more interface mechanisms can be used with the illustrativeembodiments, including, for example, Internet access, telecommunicationsin any suitable form (e.g., voice, modem, and the like), wirelesscommunications media, and the like. For example, employed communicationsnetworks or links can include one or more wireless communicationsnetworks, cellular communications networks, G3 communications networks,Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTNs), Packet Data Networks (PDNs),the Internet, intranets, a combination thereof, and the like.

It is to be understood that the devices and subsystems of theillustrative embodiments are for illustrative purposes, as manyvariations of the specific hardware used to implement the illustrativeembodiments are possible, as will be appreciated by those skilled in therelevant art(s). For example, the functionality of one or more of thedevices and subsystems of the illustrative embodiments can beimplemented via one or more programmed computer systems or devices.

To implement such variations as well as other variations, a singlecomputer system can be programmed to perform the special purposefunctions of one or more of the devices and subsystems of theillustrative embodiments. On the other hand, two or more programmedcomputer systems or devices can be substituted for any one of thedevices and subsystems of the illustrative embodiments. Accordingly,principles and advantages of distributed processing, such as redundancy,replication, and the like, also can be implemented, as desired, toincrease the robustness and performance of the devices and subsystems ofthe illustrative embodiments.

The devices and subsystems of the illustrative embodiments can storeinformation relating to various processes described herein. Thisinformation can be stored in one or more memories, such as a hard disk,optical disk, magneto-optical disk, RAM, and the like, of the devicesand subsystems of the illustrative embodiments. One or more databases ofthe devices and subsystems of the illustrative embodiments can store theinformation used to implement the illustrative embodiments of thepresent inventions. The databases can be organized using data structures(e.g., records, tables, arrays, fields, graphs, trees, lists, and thelike) included in one or more memories or storage devices listed herein.The processes described with respect to the illustrative embodiments caninclude appropriate data structures for storing data collected and/orgenerated by the processes of the devices and subsystems of theillustrative embodiments in one or more databases thereof.

All or a portion of the devices and subsystems of the illustrativeembodiments can be conveniently implemented using one or more generalpurpose computer systems, microprocessors, digital signal processors,micro-controllers, and the like, programmed according to the teachingsof the illustrative embodiments of the present inventions, as will beappreciated by those skilled in the computer and software arts.Appropriate software can be readily prepared by programmers of ordinaryskill based on the teachings of the illustrative embodiments, as will beappreciated by those skilled in the software art. Further, the devicesand subsystems of the illustrative embodiments can be implemented on theWorld Wide Web.

In addition, the devices and subsystems of the illustrative embodimentscan be implemented by the preparation of application-specific integratedcircuits or by interconnecting an appropriate network of conventionalcomponent circuits, as will be appreciated by those skilled in theelectrical art(s). Thus, the illustrative embodiments are not limited toany specific combination of hardware circuitry and/or software.

Stored on any one or on a combination of computer readable media, theillustrative embodiments of the present inventions can include softwarefor controlling the devices and subsystems of the illustrativeembodiments, for driving the devices and subsystems of the illustrativeembodiments, for enabling the devices and subsystems of the illustrativeembodiments to interact with a human user, and the like. Such softwarecan include, but is not limited to, device drivers, firmware, operatingsystems, development tools, applications software, and the like. Suchcomputer readable media further can include the computer program productof an embodiment of the present inventions for performing all or aportion (if processing is distributed) of the processing performed inimplementing the inventions. Computer code devices of the illustrativeembodiments of the present inventions can include any suitableinterpretable or executable code mechanism, including but not limited toscripts, interpretable programs, dynamic link libraries (DLLs), Javaclasses and applets, complete executable programs, Common Object RequestBroker Architecture (CORBA) objects, and the like. Moreover, parts ofthe processing of the illustrative embodiments of the present inventionscan be distributed for better performance, reliability, cost, and thelike.

As stated above, the devices and subsystems of the illustrativeembodiments can include computer readable medium or memories for holdinginstructions programmed according to the teachings of the presentinventions and for holding data structures, tables, records, and/orother data described herein. Computer readable medium can include anysuitable medium that participates in providing instructions to aprocessor for execution. Such a medium can take many forms, includingbut not limited to, non-volatile media, volatile media, transmissionmedia, and the like. Non-volatile media can include, for example,optical or magnetic disks, magneto-optical disks, and the like. Volatilemedia can include dynamic memories, and the like. Transmission media caninclude coaxial cables, copper wire, fiber optics, and the like.Transmission media also can take the form of acoustic, optical,electromagnetic waves, and the like, such as those generated duringradio frequency (RF) communications, infrared (IR) data communications,and the like. Common forms of computer-readable media can include, forexample, a floppy disk, a flexible disk, hard disk, magnetic tape, anyother suitable magnetic medium, a CD-ROM, CDRW, DVD, any other suitableoptical medium, punch cards, paper tape, optical mark sheets, any othersuitable physical medium with patterns of holes or other opticallyrecognizable indicia, a RAM, a PROM, an EPROM, a FLASH-EPROM, any othersuitable memory chip or cartridge, a carrier wave or any other suitablemedium from which a computer can read.

While the present inventions have been described in connection with anumber of illustrative embodiments, and implementations, the presentinventions are not so limited, but rather cover various modifications,and equivalent arrangements, which fall within the purview of theappended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for integrated management of animate andinanimate objects of an enterprise, the system comprising: a cloud-basedserver having a database, a website, and configured for running computerprograms thereon; a user device including a smartphone, tablet and/orpersonal computer (PC) running an application or software including agamified user interface (UI) configured to connect to the database andfunction as a data entry and display device; automated devices includinga sensor, electronic switch, pump and/or a hydroponic dosing deviceconnected to the database and configured to collect and transmit data orto react to received commands; an Artificial Intelligence (AI) poweredengine configured to monitor statuses of animate and inanimate objectsof an enterprise, as well as external conditions and actors that affectthe enterprise, and based on analysis of the statuses, configured totask employees and/or the automated devices of the enterprise, andconfigured to employ cognitive reasoning to provide the enterprise withadvice on managing business operations; and a framework employed by theAI engine based on a metaphor of a novel, with business operations ofthe enterprise presented as a story, and including a data model thatfollows rules of grammar.
 2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:a plurality of the enterprises acting communally by sharing data that isaggregated for data mining and/or decision analysis.
 3. The system ofclaim 1, further comprising: a supplier device of the enterpriseconfigured to log into the website and exchange information with theenterprise, including order, delivery, and/or invoice information,thereby creating an online order management process for suppliers. 4.The system of claim 1, further comprising: a Kiosk coupled to thecloud-based server and configured to communicate with the employee ofthe enterprise, a customer of the enterprise, and/or people thatinteract with the enterprise, using facial recognition, natural languageprocessing, and/or data input and display mechanisms, includingpublicizing information about the enterprise, including products and/orservices of the enterprise, and including marketing third-party productsand services.
 5. A method for integrated management of animate andinanimate objects of an enterprise, the method comprising: runningcomputer programs with a cloud-based server having a database and awebsite; running with a user device including a smartphone, tabletand/or personal computer (PC), an application or software including agamified user interface (UI) for connecting to the database andfunctioning as a data entry and display device; collecting andtransmitting data or reacting to received commands with automateddevices, including a sensor, electronic switch, pump and/or a hydroponicdosing device connected to the database; monitoring with an ArtificialIntelligence (AI) powered engine statuses of animate and inanimateobjects of an enterprise, as well as external conditions and actors thataffect the enterprise, and based on analysis of the statuses, taskingemployees and/or the automated devices of the enterprise, and employingcognitive reasoning to provide the enterprise with advice on managingbusiness operations; and employing a framework by the AI engine based ona metaphor of a novel, with business operations of the enterprisepresented as a story, and including a data model that follows rules ofgrammar.
 6. The method of claim 5, further comprising: sharing with aplurality of the enterprises acting communally data that is aggregatedfor data mining and/or decision analysis.
 7. The method of claim 5,further comprising: logging with a supplier device of the enterpriseinto the website and exchanging information with the enterprise,including order, delivery, and/or invoice information, thereby creatingan online order management process for suppliers.
 8. The method of claim5, further comprising: coupling a Kiosk coupled to cloud-based serverand communicating with the employee of the enterprise, a customer of theenterprise, and/or people that interact with the enterprise, and usingfacial recognition, natural language processing, and/or data input anddisplay mechanisms, including publicizing information about theenterprise, including products and/or services of the enterprise, andincluding marketing third-party products and services.
 9. A computerprogram product for integrated management of animate and inanimateobjects of an enterprise, and including one or more computer readableinstructions embedded on a tangible, non-transitory computer andconfigured to cause one or more computer processors to perform the stepsof: running computer programs with a cloud-based server having adatabase and a website; running with a user device including asmartphone, tablet and/or personal computer (PC), an application orsoftware including a gamified user interface (UI) for connecting to thedatabase and functioning as a data entry and display device; collectingand transmitting data or reacting to received commands with automateddevices, including a sensor, electronic switch, pump and/or a hydroponicdosing device connected to the database; monitoring with an ArtificialIntelligence (AI) powered engine statuses of animate and inanimateobjects of an enterprise, as well as external conditions and actors thataffect the enterprise, and based on analysis of the statuses, taskingemployees and/or the automated devices of the enterprise, and employingcognitive reasoning to provide the enterprise with advice on managingbusiness operations; and employing a framework by the AI engine based ona metaphor of a novel, with business operations of the enterprisepresented as a story, and including a data model that follows rules ofgrammar.
 10. The computer program product of claim 9, furthercomprising: sharing with a plurality of the enterprises actingcommunally data that is aggregated for data mining and/or decisionanalysis.
 11. The computer program product of claim 9, furthercomprising: logging with a supplier device of the enterprise into thewebsite and exchanging information with the enterprise, including order,delivery, and/or invoice information, thereby creating an online ordermanagement process for suppliers.
 12. The computer program product ofclaim 9, further comprising: coupling a Kiosk coupled to cloud-basedserver and communicating with the employee of the enterprise, a customerof the enterprise, and/or people that interact with the enterprise, andusing facial recognition, natural language processing, and/or data inputand display mechanisms, including publicizing information about theenterprise, including products and/or services of the enterprise, andincluding marketing third-party products and services.